Combine 2008

CombineStats:

20 Yard Shuttle4.56 secs

Strengths

Positives: Has good chest thickness, broad shoulders and a squat frame that can carry at least another 15 pounds of bulk with no loss in quickness...Has strong, thick legs, with good hip rotation and lateral agility to get out front on traps and pulls...Alert to defensive schemes, easily picking up the stunts and blitzes...Versatile, with the ability to play center or guard...Shows excellent quickness as a snap-and-step center, getting a strong surge when making initial contact...Instinctive player who does a solid job making blocking-assignment calls...Durable athlete who has started every game during his college career...A little stiff in his straight-line burst, but shows good balance and body control to take angles and neutralize second-level defenders...Plays with good strength, keeping himself flat-footed with his hands inside his frame to shock and jolt the defender...Shows the functional body control and foot agility to quickly move off the snap...Active, tough competitor who always gives a second effort...Has enough quickness coming out of his stance, clearing defenders off the ball with his leg drive, hand jolt and explosion, as he plays with an aggressive nature...Generates a strong hand punch blocking on the move and plays with great effort, as he is always looking for targets to strike...More explosive coming out of his stance from shotgun formation, but also shows fluid motion when the quarterback lines up under center...Bit of a waist bender, but is quick to recover, as he shows proper knee bend to gain position, anchor and sustain...Drives with force coming out of his stance, staying with the defender while keeping a wide leg base to maintain balance...Clamps on tightly to ride the defender wide and is a physical drive blocker who simply runs over people...Powerful trap blocker who does a very nice job of locating defenders in space...Excels at pulling to trap when uncovered, cutting off on the front side of the gap...Moves well in the box, showing good range and has improved a fluid drop-and-set with his head on a swivel, displaying good footwork in pass sets...Can anchor down with force in pass protection and extends his arms properly to contain the bull rush...Shows the patience needed to take on blockers, as it is rare to see him lunge or over-extend to land on a target...Adjusts well in space and does a nice job either in one-on-one situations or combining with his guards to shut down the rush...Has enough lateral quickness and movement skills to get position on the linebacker moving downfield and shows the slide ability in both directions when blocking an angle...Can make the shotgun snap, as he is quick with his hands, demonstrating much better hand placement as a senior (see 2007 Minnesota, Temple and Akron games)...Uses his hands efficiently to get inside the frame of a defender to rock him back with a jarring hand punch...Mirrors double moves well, due to his fluid lateral agility...Review of 2007 tapes shows that the athlete has refined his change-of-direction agility, as he does a better job of dropping his weight and planting his foot in the ground to redirect.
Negatives: Quality snapper in the shotgun, but the team does not place their quarterback under center much to get a true gauge of his hand quickness in that category...Shows better pop with his hands when blocking on the move than when he's stationary...Demonstrates good balance and body control on the move, but will bend at the waist at times and when he does this, he is slow to recover...A true interior blocker, as he seems more comfortable working in unison with his guards on blocks (does not have the quick kick slide to get on the edge and handle the speedy pass rushers as a potential tackle candidate)...Showed improvement as a senior, but was not always consistent shooting his hands and getting hand placement to lock on and control defenders earlier in his career...Because he is utilized mostly in the shotgun, he might have to return to guard early in his professional career until he can show he has the same snap quickness and hand speed needed for the traditional quarterback snap, but he showed earlier in his career that he has the ability to pull for the ground game from the left guard position (made 184 knockdowns with 27 touchdown-resulting blocks during his first two years as a guard at BGSU).
Compares To: BRAD MEESTER-Jacksonville...Like Meester, Lichtensteiger's versatility will make him a valuable asset for a professional team earlier in his pro career. He has worked hard to develop into a very effective trap blocker and has experience at guard, so a move back to that position during his first few years won't be slowed by a lack of experience. He is a tenacious drive blocker who keeps his head on a swivel to locate and land on second-level defenders with consistency. He is a smart player who makes good line calls and adjustments. With his ability to work in unison with his fellow interior blockers, whatever position he lines up at next year, look for him to make a smooth adjustment to NFL life.